Improvement in cloth-measuring apparatus



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mut ,dtiijiita Letters Patent No. 101,979, dated April 19, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTH-MEASURING- APPARATUS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, THOMAS M. BRINTNALL, of Med dina, in the county of Medina and State of Ohio, have invented a, useful and improved Machine for Measuring and Folding Clot-h; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, suliicicnt to enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appel-talus to fully understand and to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation;

Figure 2, a top view; and

Figure 3, a front elevation of the machine.

Figure 4 is a detail view to be .hereinafter more fully referred to..

The object of this invention is to provide a 'simple and accurate machine which can be furnished at a moderate price, and adapted especially for use in wholesale and retail stores in taking inventory of goods on hand, and also for folding, bolting, or rolling cloth.

The invention embodies an improvement in the winding mechanism, in the tension device for the registering-rollers, in the swivel-chucks for holding the bolt, roller, or folding-board, and in securing the machine to the counter.

The invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth, to form a simple, durable, and accurate machine for the purposes specied.

I will now proceed to describe the invention in detail, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein similar letters indicate like parts in the several figures.

A A represent the sides of a light frame-work adapted to support the working-parts; and

B B' are cross-pieces connecting the sides.

In practice this frame will be composed of light castings, and the portions a. a of the sides will be either partially or entirely dispensed with.

The front cross-piece B of the frame is provided with a longitudinal slot, b, in which a standard, Q, is adjustable, and is adapted to be fixed in'position by means of a set-screw and uut in the usual way.

In the upper part of this standard is tted a thumbscrew, c, and a similar-screw, c' passes through the stationary standard D, which, in practice, will form a part of the frame-work. Both set-screws c c are pointed, as shown, to form pivots, on which a bolt or roller may revolve in unwinding the cloth therefrom.

To more securelyhold the bolt or roller, I provide one or both of the screws c c' with a swiveled clutch, f. This clutch is cast with lips M t" t, which form a socket to receive the end of the bolt or roller. The' points of the screws c c enter small cavities made in the bolt or roller.

The object in having the standard C adjustable is to accommodate bolts of different lengths. By tightening the screws c c the bolt or roller is held more o less firmly, as desired.

E is a roller journaled in bearings in the upper part of the sides A A of the frame. This I term the supporting-roller, as the cloth from the bolt passes over it, and thereby all wrinkles are smoothed out. Ou this roller are fitted sliding guage-collars h h, which, in operation, are moved up to the edges of the cloth, and 'fixed by means of set-screws.

F represents the registering-roller, which is journaled in stationary bearings in the frame A A.' This roller is wrapped or covered with cloth or equivalent material, to make a surface which will induce friction;

G is the tension-roller, situated immediately below the registering-rollen -The roller G turns in bearings y y attached to the free end of flat springs I I, (see iig. 4,) which springs are secured to cast blockszz pivoted to the sides A A of the main frame.

To regulate the tension and increase or diminish the pressure of the roller G against the upper roller, thumb or set-screws p p, passing through lugs fm m' cast on the frame, are employed. These screws bear on the springs I I back of the pivots on which they turn. A- very eiiective, simple, and easily-adjusted tension-device is thus produced.

On the journal of the registering-roller is a single projection, o. At each revolution of the registeringroller this projection o engages with a toothed wheel, H, and'turns the same the distance of one tooth, this wheel H being mounted on a pin, 1)',ixed in the main frame of the machine.

The wheel H is provided on its outer face with a space, q,.graduated to represent, by preference, whole, half, and quarter yards.

r is a pointer, secured to the frame A, and extending over the graduated space on the wheel H. The fractions less than a quarter yard are marked on the frame A in such position that the projection o will serve as the indicator to point them out.

If desired, a second graduated and toothed wheel maybe arranged so that, at each revolution of thev wheel H, this second Wheel will be moved a single space, by means of a tappet on said wheel. H. To prevent the wheel H from slipping, I employ a dat spring, s, which is so secured to the frame that its free end presses against the periphery of the toothed wheel and holds it by friction.

My folding orl bolting mechanism consists of a clutch, t, att-ached to a short shaft,u,journaled in one side of the frame, and a pointed thumb-screw, fu, in the opposite side A. The receiving-bolt or folding-board, fw, is held by the clutch t and screw c, as clearly shown.

I prefer to set short pins in the edge of'this bolt as a means for taking hold of the end of the roll of cloth.

I would here mention that, instead of using iat bolts or folding-boards, round rollers may be employed, the clutches f t and screws 0.o being as well adapted to hold cylindrical as flat bodies.

Heret-ofore the receiving-bolt has been generally rotated by means of a simple crank, which is necessarily a slow operation. I attach the crank to a drivewheel, J, which engages' with a pinion, K, on the journal of the short clutch-shaft u. By this means greatly-increased speed is obtained.

It should be borne in mind that this machine is principally intended for use in taking inventory of goods; and to further adaptv it for this I provide means for securing the apparatus to the counter.

xa: are L-shaped clips, adjustably secured to the sides of the main frame ofthe machine by means of a set-screw passing through a slot in the clip. The upper surface of the bent portion of each clip is roughened, so as to make it take hold upon the under side ofthe edge of the counter, when the clip is adjusted and fixed by means of the setscrews.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

After setting the registering-dial at zero, the bolt orv roller containing the cloth to be measured is mounted in plac'e, the standard C having been properly adjusted, and the loose end of the roll of clotlpis carried over the supporting-roller and between the registering and tension-rollers, and secured to the folding-board, which has been previously arranged. 'The collars on the supporting-roller are now adjusted up to the edges ofthe cloth, and there lfixed, and the tension is regulated according to the thickness of the goods. Now, by turning the crank, the cloth is rapidly transferred to the .receiving-bolt or roller, and tightly wound or folded thereon, the number of yards in the piece being registered on the dial.

Merchants frequently have occasion to roll goods which have come in a folded state. This can be easily accomplished with my machine, the end of the folded cloth being carried immediately over the supportingroller, thence between the registering and tensionrollers to the receiving-bolt or roller.

The machine, as described, is so simple that it can be furnished at a price within the reachbf all; and it has been found todo its work accurately and rapidly,

thus greatly lessening the time required for taking an inventory of stock.

I do not claim broadly a pivoted tension device, a swiveled clutch for the folding-board, or a thumbscrew for attaching a portable machine to a table; neither do I claim broadly the combination of gearing with the winding-board, nor the combination of a tension-roller, pivoted tension device, registering-roller, and indicating mechanism; but

Having thus described my invention,

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the pivoted dat springs I, bearings y, and screws p, with the roller G, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described.

2. v'Ihe swiveled clutches constructed, as described, with lips t' t 'L t', so as to hold either a roller or a flat board, as herein set forth.

3. The relative arrangement, herein shown and described, of the clutch t, shaft u, pinion K, wheel J,

and crank-handle, all operating as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the cloth-covered registering-roller F, the tension-roller G, pivoted fiat springs I, screws p, graduated wheel H, tooth o, indicator 'r, and spring s, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The-combination and general arrangement of the devices for holding the bolt containing the cloth to be meausred, the supporting-roller with guage-collars, the pivotedv tension device and tension and registeringrollers, the registering mechanism, and the means for holding andwiuding the folding-board or roller, all adapted for joint operation, substantially as herein described.

'Io the above specification of my invention I have signed my name this 18th day of February, 1870.

T. M. BRINTNALL.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. RorHWELL, OHAs. C. WILSON. 

